The doll, which may be designed as a miniature representation of a person or animal, is a basic staple of children's toys. Representations of real and fictional characters have been popular especially among girls for many years, and dolls continue to be a common plaything and socialization tool for children.
Convertible dolls, wherein a single toy can be transformed from one likeness to another, have been in use for more than a century. The basic convertible doll design uses two upper torsos attached at the middle with a reversible skirt, and is often termed a topsy-turvy doll. The upper torso is visible, while the lower torso is concealed by the skirt of the doll.
More recent convertible dolls include pop-up dolls, where the upper body of the doll is first concealed by a container which then later acts in substitution of the doll's absent lower half. Additionally, advancements to the topsy-turvy doll include the addition of removable sheaths to better conceal the unused lower torso, as well as the substitution of other objects for one of the two figures. Still, neither topsy-turvy dolls nor pop-up dolls include a full body doll.
Smaller full-body dolls have also been enclosed completely or primarily within simulated flower blossoms. In these dolls, the flower blossoms are presented as furniture or housing for the dolls rather than part of the doll, and do not really form a convertible toy as understood in the art. Although they provide some amount of joy in the surprise of the user, these toys do not allow the user to interact with the flower and girl as two forms of the same toy.
The conventional convertible doll is limited by having only a portion of the doll's anatomy. A need exists for a convertible full-body doll that, at least when in the form of a person, represents both the upper and lower body of the person. A need also exists for a convertible doll that conveniently and convincingly transforms into a flower.